2011 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET ESP

___ A_ ir_b_ a --= ge....- s.:y _s_ t_ e_ m ________________________________________________ _
situat ions . Be sure to read the important i nformat ion about safety
a nd hee d the WAR NIN GS i n t his ch apte r.
Deployment of the Advanced A irbag System and the act ivat ion of the
safety belt pretensioners depend on the deceleration measured by
t he crash senso rs an d regis tered by the e lectroni c con trol u nit. The
amount of inflation of the front airbags can a lso be adapted to the
front seat pos it ion, depending on t he d istance be tween the respec ­
tive front seat and the steering wheel or instrument panel as reg is­
t ere d by sensors in the seats. Crash seve rity depends on speed and
deceleration as well as the mass and stiffness of the vehicle or object
involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, rega rd less of safety be lt use, the a irbag will
be t urned off if the we ight on the passenger seat is less tha n the
amount prog rammed in the e lec tronic contro l uni t. The fro nt airbag
on the passenger side will a lso be turned off if one of the chi ld safety
sea ts tha t has been cert ified under Federa l Mo to r Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat . The
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht comes on and stays on to tell you w hen the fron t
Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
=> page 201, "C hild restraints o n the front sea t - some impo rtant
things to know ".
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of inju ry when an a irbag inflates, always wear
safety belt s properly.
• If you are un rest rained, leaning forward, sitting sideways or
out of posit ion in any way , your risk of injury is much higher .
• You will also receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too clo se t o it wh en it inflates ·
even with an Advanced Airbag=>
page 199. •
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fi g. 1 98 I nfl ate d
front a irb ags
Safety belts are important to he lp keep front seat occupants in the
pro per seated pos ition so that a irbags can unfold prope rly and
prov ide supp lemental protect ion in a frontal collision.
Th e front airbags are designed to provide add itio na l protec tion for
the c hest and face of the driver and the front sea t passenge r when:
• safety belts are worn properly ,
• t he seats have been posit ioned so that the occupant is prope rly
seated as far as possible from the airbag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because air bags inflate in the b link of a n eye w it h great force, things
you have on your lap o r have place d on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the a irbag inf lates .
When a n airbag dep loys, fine dust is released. This is normal and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to l ubricate the ai rbags as they deploy.
It could irritate
skin .
I t is important to remember that while the supp lemental airbag
system is desig ned to reduce the li ke lihood of serious injur ies, other
injuries, for example swelling , b ruising and m inor abras ions, can also
happen when airbags infl ate. Airbags do not p rotect the arms or the ..,_

Airbag system --------------------------------------------- -=---=----
lowe r pa rts of the body . Front a irbags only supp lemen t th e t hree
po int saf ety b elt s in som e frontal col lisions in which t he vehicl e decel­
erat io n is high en ough to d ep loy the a irbags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off w hen a cras h occ urs ,
• in side co llisions,
• in re ar- end collisions,
• in rollove rs,
• when t he cra sh d ecelera tion m easur ed by the airbag sys te m is le ss
than the min imum threshold needed fo r airbag deployme nt as reg is­
t ere d by t he e lectr onic c ontrol u nit.
The front passenger airbag will also not deploy:
• when t he fro nt p ass eng er s eat i s not o ccupi ed,
• when the weight on the front passenge r seat as sense d by the
A dvanc ed Airba g Sy stem indicat es that t he front a irbag o n the
passenge r s id e has to be turned off by the e lectro nic con trol unit (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht c om es on an d sta ys on).
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the risk of serious injury
in crashes.
• To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags inflate, the driver
and passengers must always sit in an upright position , must not
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
• Occupants who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye=>
page 201.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will increase the risk of injury
in a cra sh by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
• Never hold things in your hands or on your lap when the vehicle
is in use.
• Never transport items on or in the area of the front passenger
seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags during
braking or other sudden maneuver and become dangerous projec­
tiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags inflate .
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cupholders, telephone brackets, large , heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG " on the steering
wheel , instrument panel, seat backrests or between those areas
and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate .
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects .
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front
IIJ,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneu ver. Objects ne ar the
airbag s can b ecome proje ctiles and cause injury, particularly when
the seat is reclined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbag s deploy can cau se breathing
problem s for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
cond itions.
• To reduce the r isk of br eathing problem s, those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening window s
or doors.
• If you are
in a collision in which airbags deploy, wash your
hands and face with mild soap and water before eating.
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cuts or
scratches.
• If the residue should get into your eyes, flush them with
water. •
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light tfG
Two separa te indi cat ors m onit or the funct io n of the
Adv ance d Airb ag Sys te m : th e airb ag mo nit ori ng i nd icato r
lig ht a nd th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the e lectronic control unit,
sensor circui ts and system wi ring) is mo nit o red co ntinu ous ly to make
sure that it is f unction ing p roperly whenever the ignition is on. Each
t ime y ou tur n on the ignit ion, t he air bag mo nito ring in dicat or lig ht
W,
w ill come on for a few s econds (self diagnos tics) .
The system must be inspected when the indicator
light ~:
• does not come on when the ign ition is switched on,
• does not go o ut a few seconds a fter you have switched on the igni ­
tion, or
• co mes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light w ill
fi rst start flashing to catch t he d river's attention and then stay on
cont inuous ly to serve as a co nstant rem inder to have the system
inspected immediately .
If a m alfu n ct io n occur s that tur ns th e fron t airbag on the passenger
side off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whe never the ignition is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protect ion in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on, it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System .
It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to, or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your autho ­
rized Audi dealer .•

-Airbag
system
----
--=----------------
the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight tha n is actua lly on
t he seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does not come on and
does not stay on cont inuous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
• t ake the child res tra int off the fr ont p assenger seat an d ins ta ll it
properly at one of t he rear seat positions. Have the a irbag system
ins pec ted by your a uth ori zed Audi de aler immedi ately.
• move the child to a rea r seat position and ma ke s ure that the child
is p roperly res trained in a c hild rest rain t th at i s appr opriate fo r its
size and age .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld NOT come on when the
ignition is on a nd an adult is sitt ing in a proper sea ting pos ition on the
front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and s tays on o r flashes fo r abo ut 5 seconds while d riving, under these
circumstances, make sure that:
• t he adul t on the front passenger se at is pro perly seate d on the
center of the seat cushi on with his or her back up against the backrest
an d t he bac krest is not reclined => page 178, "P roper occ upan t
seating posit ions",
• t he adult is not tak ing weig ht o ff t he sea t by holding on to th e
passenge r assist handle above the front passe nger door or
supporti ng thei r weight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is be ing properly wor n and that there is not a lot of
s la ck in th e s afe ty be lt webb ing,
• accessory seat cove rs or cushions o r othe r th ings that may ca use
an in corre ct re ading o r impre ss io n on th e weigh t-sensin g m at un der
the upholstery of the seat have been removed from the front
p as senge r se at,
• a sa fety be lt extender has not been left in th e safety belt latch for
th e fr ont pas senger se at.
In addit io n to t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in t he center of the
instrument pane l, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF o r
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON w ill briefly appea r in th e inst rument cluster display
. This is to inform the dr ive r of the current front passenger
a irb ag s tat us.•
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on, it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System.
It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to, or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your autho­
r ized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
If the front airbag inflate s, a child without a child restraint, in a
rearward-facing child safety seat or in a forward-facing child
restraint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
injured and can be killed.
• Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all children, especially 12 years and
younger, always r ide on the back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
• Always install forward or rear-facing child safety seats on the
rear seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• If you must install a rearward-facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not appear and stay on, immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
~

• in rear-end collisions
• in rollover s.
In some types of accide nts the front a irbags a nd side a irbags may be
t rig gere d together.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide prote ction
when occupants are in the proper seating position=> page
219 .
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle is being
used, have the system inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer. The airbag may not work properly when the vehicle acceleration in a side collision is high enough to activate the
airbag. •
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy ins tan tly an d can help reduce the risk
o f upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly
restrained.
Fig . 203 I nflated side
a ir ba gs on left side of
v eh icle
Wh en the system is trigge red, the airbag is filled w ith prop ellan t gas
and breaks through a seam in the seat s urface area marked
" AIR BAG".
It expand s between the side trim panel and the pa ssenger.
In order to he lp provide this additional protection, the s ide airbag
Safety
first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
must inflate w ith in a fract ion of a seco nd at ve ry high speed and w it h
great for ce. T he supp lemen tal side air bag cou ld injure you if yo ur
seating position is not proper or upr ight o r if items ar e located in the
area w here the s upplementa l side ai rbag expands. This applies espe­
cially to children=>
page 221, ''Child Safety" . S upplementa l side
air bags inflate between the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the ve hicl e that is st ruck in certain side collision=> fig. 203 .
Altho ugh they are not a soft pillow, they can "cushion" the impact
and in this way they ca n help to re duc e the ris k of injury to the u pper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develo p when the airbag deploys. This is normal an d
does not mea n the re is a fire in the vehicle. •
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbag s are o nly su pplemen tal rest raints . A lway s pr op ­
e rl y wear safety b elts and ride i n a pr op er se ating p osi­
tion .
There is a lot that you and yo ur passengers must k now and act accord­
ingly to help t he safety be lts and a irbags do t he ir job to provide
supplementa l protection.
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cau se serious or fatal injury. Improp­
erly wearing safety belts and improper seating position s increase
the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is
being used .
• In order to redu ce the risk of injury when the supplemental
side airbag inflate s:
- Alway s sit
in an upright position and never lean against the
area where the supplemental side airbag is located . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service Technical data

Child Safety -
-------------------"'---.,,.
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a collision.
The physical pr in ci ples o f wha t happens w hen yo ur vehicl e is in a crash
app ly a lso to children=>
page 191, "What happens to occupants not
wearing safety be lts?". But unlik e adu lts and teenagers, the ir
muscles and bones are not fully developed. In many respects c hildren
are at greate r risk of ser io us injury in cras hes than adults .
Because children 's bodies a re not f ully deve loped, they require
restraint systems especially designed fo r their size, weight, and body
st ruct ure. Many cou ntries and all states of t he Unite d States and
prov inces of Canada have laws req uiring the use of approved ch ild
restrain t sys tems for infan ts an d sm all ch ild ren .
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph (30-56 km/h) the forces
act ing o n a 13- pound (6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 times the
we ight of the ch ild . This means the we ight of the child wo uld
suddenly be more than 260 po unds (120 kg). Unde r these conditions,
only a n app ropr iat e child restra int proper ly used can red uce the risk
o f serious injury. Child restrai nts must be used properly to be e ffec­
t ive. Used i mpro perly, t hey can increase the risk of serio us injury in an
acc ident.
C onsult the ch ild safety seat manufacturer's instr uctions in order to
be sure the seat is r ight for you r child's size=>
page 224, "Important
safety instructions fo r using child safety seats". P lease be s ure to
read and heed a ll of the important informa tion and WAR NINGS
about chi ld safety, Advanced Airbags, an d the installation of child
restra in ts in this chapte r.
There is a lot you need to know about the Advanced Airbags in your
vehicle and how t hey wo rk when inf ants and childre n in child
restra ints are on the front passenger seat. Beca use of t he large
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
amou
nt of importa nt info rmation, we cannot repeat i t all he re. We
urge you to read the detailed information in th is owne r's man ua l
abou t airbags and t he Advanced A irbag Syste m in your vehicle and the
very important information abo ut transporting c hildren on the front
p assenger se at. P lea se be sure to heed the WARNIN GS - they a re
extremely important for your safety and the safety of your passe n­
gers, especially infan ts and small ch il dre n.
& WARNING
• Accid ent statisti cs have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position. Always
re strain any child age 12 and under in the rear.
• All vehicle occupants and especially children must be
restrained properly when ever riding in a vehicle. An unre strained
or improperly restrained child could be injured by striking the
interior or by being ejected from the vehicle during a sudden
maneuver or impact. An unrestrained or improperly rest rained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death through contact with
an inflat ing airbag .
• A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of
the rear seating posi tions provides the highest degree of protec­
tion for infants and small children in most accident situations.
& WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with Advanced Airbags
can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates. A
c hild in a rearward -facing child safety seat ins talled on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflate s.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will sma sh the child safety seat and
child aga inst the backrest, or door. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

____ C_h _i_ld _ S_a _f ...;.e ....:t "- y ________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Alway s in stall rearwa rd-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat in exceptional circumstance s and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immed iately install the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected immedi ­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child res traint on the front pas senger's seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by it s manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Always follow the manufacturer 's instruction s provided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• Always move the passenger seat into it s rearmost position in
the seat 's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the child restraint. The back­ rest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on .•
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equi pped wi th a fron t "Advanced Airbag System" in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
( F MVSS) 2 08 as appli ca ble at t he time your ve hicle was manufa c­
tured. The Advanced A
irbag system in yo ur vehicle has been certif ied to
mee t the "low -r is k" requiremen ts fo r 3-and 6-ye ar old ch ildre n on
t he passenger side and small adults on the dr iver side . The low risk
dep loyment criteria are inten ded to reduce the risk of injury through
interaction with the a irbag t hat can occur, for example, by being too
close to the stee ring wheel an d instr ument panel when the airbag
inflates. In addi tion, the system has been certified to comp ly with t he
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Standa rd, to t urn off the
fron t air bag for infan ts up to 1 2 months who a re res train ed on the
front passenger seat in child restrai nts that are listed in the Stan­
d ar d.
Even thoug h your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
system , a ll ch ildren, especially those 12 years and yo unger, should
always r ide in t he back seat p roperly restrained for t heir ag e and si ze .
Th e ai rbag on the passenge r si de makes the front seat a potentia lly
dange rous p lace for a child to r ide. Th e front seat is not th e safest
place fo r a child in a forward-facing c hild safety seat. It can be a very
d an ge rous p lace for a n infan t or a large r chil d i n a rea rwa rd-facing
seat. •
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
Th e Advanced A irbag System i n your ve hicle de tects t he p resence o f
an infa nt o r ch ild in a child rest rai nt on the fro nt passenger sea t using
the we ight-sens ing mat in the seat cushion and the senso r be low the
saf ety belt la tch o n th e front passenge r seat tha t measur es t he
tension on the safety belt.
Th e weigh t-sens ing ma t me asures tot al we ight of the child and the
child safety seat and a child blanket on the fro nt passe nger seat . The
we ight on the fro nt passenger se at is re lated to t he design of the
child res traint and i ts "footpri nt", the size and shape of t he bottom
of the ch ild restraint as it sits o n the seat . The weight of a child
restrain t an d its "foo tpr int" vary for differe nt k inds of child res tra ints .,_

ffl,___C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t-= y ;....._ ____________________________________________ _
Model
Graco Infant 8457
Graco Snug ride
Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP
IMUN00US
Manufactured on or
after
December 1, 1999
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
Subpart C -Fo rward-fa cing and con vertib le child
re straints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout E9 L02xx September 25, 2007
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe High Back September 25, 2007
Booster 22 -262
Cosco H igh Back Booste r 22-209 September 25, 2007
Evenflo Tr ibute V 379xxxx September 25, 2007
Evenflo Medallion 25 4 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations 352xxxx September 25, 2007
Grace ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Grace Toddler Safety Seat Step 2 September 25, 2007
Graco P latinum Ca rgo September 25, 2007
& WARNING
To reduce the ri sk of serio us i njury , make sure th at the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight com es on and s tays on wh en ev e r a
c hild re straint is i nsta lle d on the front pas senge r seat and th e
ign itio n is s witch ed on .
& WAR NING (continu ed)
• Take the child re st raint off the front pa ssenger seat and in stall
i t properly at one of the rear s eat position s if the PASSENGER A IR
BAG OFF light doe s not stay on .
• Hav e the a irb ag sys tem in spect ed by your authori zed Audi
deal er immedi ate ly .
[I) Tips
The chi ld seats listed in categories A to C have been tested by Audi
only for the Advanced A irbag function .•
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially reduces the
risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of everybody
in th e veh icle, especially children :
- Always use the right child safety seat for each child and
always use it properly=>
page 22 7.
- Always carefully follow the child safety seat manufac­
turer's instructions on how to route the safety belt prop­
erly through the child safety seat .
- When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety
seat, you must first activate the convert ible locking
retractor on the safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from movi ng =>
page 231.
- Push the child safety seat down wit h your full weig ht to
get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm). ._